Thursday Thoughts

I'm just going to jump in to the randomness that is this post...

*Has anyone else seen commercials for that diet powder that your sprinkle on your food and apparently lose weight?  Please tell me no one is dumb enough to actually buy this.  No one can honestly think that sprinkling some magic diet powder on your greasy cheeseburger or french fries is going to make you lose weight.  If it was that simple everyone would be super skinny and live at the cupcake shop.  Get real!

*Speaking of weight.  Let's just say I managed to lose all of my baby weigh and then GAIN IT BACK.  I haven't gained all of it back but come on!  I am so over this extra weight and am officially on a mission to get back in shape!  I've also registered for a 5K in September (more details on that tomorrow) so this beast was delivered to our house Tuesday! And before anyone attempts to give me obnoxious loving advice about running with a baby - I am not running with Will yet (walking yes, running no) and will not run with him until I get the ok from the pediatrician.


The kids approved of their new wheels!  Will feel asleep within minutes of starting our walk.

*Do you see how huge Will is?  Chunker is 13.9 pounds! 

*Yesterday was one of those days where I wanted to simultaneously cry and pour a glass of wine.  Kate was in total destruction mode.  Will was fussy and wouldn't nap more than 30 minutes.  Kate decided her face made a beautiful canvas for her markers.  You know, one of those days.

Right when I was at my breaking point, Kate asked to hold Will.  Insert heart explosion.  Moments like this make all of the hard, stressful moments disappear. 

*The picture above shows, yet again, how huge Will is!  Kate only weighs 9 pounds more than him!  They will be the same size in no time!

*Yes Kate wore not one, but two swim suits all day yesterday.  She even went out in public wearing them. That's a battle I just didn't have the energy to fight.

*If you follow me on twitter you already know that I've been participating in "no spend June".  I've failed in some areas (hello $500 stroller I bought this week) but succeeded in other areas (haven't bought a single article of clothing for the kids).  I've learned a lot this month about living in excess and plan to post about it in the next week or so!

*It is HOT this summer.  We hit 108 (actual temperature not heat index) this week.  I love city life but would really love the convenience of the suburbs and a neighborhood pool/ splash pad right about now!

*I am a reading machine thanks to the summer reading challenge!  I've officially finished 7 books totaling 2,173 pages!

A Few of my {new} Favorite Things

So, I'm officially more than two months into this two under two gig!  I've had many days where I barely make it to bed time without losing my mind but I've also had several amazing days where I feel like I have mastered the art of juggling two babies!

I know several of my blog friends have either just given birth to their second, are about to pop any day (I'm talking about you Lindsay), or are considering jumping on the #2 band wagon so I thought I'd share some products that are relatively new to me that have either made our transition into the 2u2 world much easier or are just great baby products that I really love! 

Honestly the products would be great for first time moms as well!

Swaddle Design Swaddle Blankets



Will was only a fan of being swaddled for a few weeks but these blankets were amazing!  I had really bad hot flashes for about a month after delivery which resulted in our room being kept pretty cold at night.  These flannel blankets were great for swaddling - they are nice and big and Will was never able to bust out of them but they are also warm.  I was able to keep Will nice and toasty while keeping our room cool for me!  I highly recommend these swaddle blankets!  I didn't use them with Kate (I didn't know they existed in 2010) and wish I would have!

Carrier



I have an Ergo (purchased when Kate was a baby) but I don't think the type of carrier necessarily matters.  The biggest thing is having something that allows you to wear your new baby and have both hands free for your toddler/ older child.  Kate is very active and we have to get out of the house and burn off some of her energy.  I love that I can put Will in the ergo and have both hands free to play with Kate at the park!  It also makes quick trips to the grocery a breeze!

Rock n Play



This is another product I didn't have with Kate.  I really love our rock n play and it was great when Will was itty bitty.  I love that it put him a bit higher than a bouncer and put him at a good angle post bottle to avoid spitting up.




While I love the RNP, I noticed that Will seemed to be very bored with it over the past week.  I did what I do best, headed to twitter, and asked about a toy bar I'd heard someone mention (thanks Michelle!) adding on to the RNP.  We picked one up and it is amazing!  Will loves batting the toys and looking at the bright colors!  I highly recommend purchasing this "add on" to extend the life of your RNP.

Travel Swing



We had a big swing with Kate and she used it a decent amount.  However, when we thought we were one and done (haha - the joke is on us) I sold most of our baby gear.  We just don't have a ton of storage space and I didn't want baby gear taking up room.

When Will was a few weeks old I picked up a travel swing because it was cheaper that a full size model and obviously, it is smaller (back to the we don't have much usable space issue).  I'm so glad I went this route.  I love that the swing is compact and easy to move from room to room.  I can have it in the living room while we play, easily take it downstairs while I get ready/ take a shower, bring it into the bathroom while I bathe Kate.  You get the picture!  The portability is necessary when it comes to having a toddler and an infant!

Baby Jogger City Select



I love, love, love this stroller!  I sold our UppaBaby Vista and purchased the City Select when I was in third trimester.  I have to admit that I missed my Vista for a few weeks.  I love strollers and loved my Vista but our City Select has really grown on me and is a wonderful stroller - especially for our needs.

I currently use the stroller frame, car seat adapter, and second seat kit.  I love that Kate has a full size seat that isn't stuck in the back like so many other double tandem strollers.  I also love that I can just pop Will's car seat onto the car seat adaptor and we are good to good.  I'm sure I'll ditch the car seat adaptor and use the second seat in the next few months!

The best feature of this stroller?  Hands down the fact that it easily converts between a single and a double.  I love that I can keep one stroller in my car and use it when I am out with one or both kids. I realize not every stay at home mom is out with just one child on a regular basis but, with all of Will's appointments, I've been out with only him many times over the past two months.

If I was switching between a single and a double depending on who I had with me I know I would inevitably end up with a single stroller in the car while out with both kids.  The City Select is definitely a must in my book!

Baby Dolls and Accessories
Let's face it - there are times when I have to focus on one child over the other.  Will is a big time eater and is just now starting to space his feeding out to ever 3ish hours.  Because of this I am stuck sitting down feeding Will many times throughout the day.  Add in diaper changes and getting him down for naps and I have to "parent" and engage Kate while occupied with the baby quite often.  I've found that giving Kate her baby doll and a diaper/ bottle/ paci while I am changing/ feeding/ soothing Will has made her feel much more involved.  We can talk about changing a diaper, how babies take bottles but big girls don't, go over body parts (I much prefer Kate shoving her fingers in her baby doll's eyes), etc while I am occupied with Will.

It's just an easy way to include Kate in things that have to be done!  It also teaches Kate to observe what others are doing and mimic!  Kate now runs to get a changing pad and wipes whenever she notices that I am about to change Will's diaper!  She is quite the little momma!
I'm sure there are more things that we are loving but these are the first several things that came to mind.

Moms of two or more- please share some of your favorite items that helped make the transition easier!  I'd love to hear suggestions of things I might not know about!

Newborn and Family Pictures

I am so excited to share Will's newborn pictures and our family pictures with y'all!  We had two sessions with our photographer, Melissa Pickens Photography, to capture these amazing images!

We took Will's newborn pictures when he was right at two weeks old.  We had plans to do them earlier but a case of the sickies hit Melissa's house and we didn't want to chance sharing germs.  Will did not coorperate and we spend the majority of the time we had together trying to get him to sleep.  He was so bright eyed and just would not get into a deep sleep. 

After several bottles, an extremely hot studio so he wasn't cold, and an outfit change for Melissa (Will decided to soak her with pee), we were able to get him to sleep and attempt a few pictures.  Of course as soon as we got Will to sleep Kate was DONE so our time was limited!

Here are a few of my favorites from that session!

Could those cheeks be any more kissable?  And his lips? I die!

Daddy's little fishing buddy!

My sweet angle boy!

I just love him!

We did family pictures about a week later and those were equally as choatic.

My sister was thankfully in town because I had absolutely no idea what we were going to wear!  Lauren is so creative and she has the ability to coordinate things I would never think of!  She gets all of the credit for our outfits, which I love!

Melissa is the other creative genius behind these pictures.  Kate wanted absolutely nothing to do with getting her picture made.  I'm talking she would throw an epic fit when we would try to get any.  Between my sister standing on her head, throwing balls, playing Oso on the iPad and Melissa clicking away, we managed to get some beautiful pictures.  I am certain that Melissa was dying laughing while editing this session.  I know the outtakes are probably major blackmail!

Other than the fact that I look huge here (I swear I am not a giant - I'm actually

 much shorter than Alex) I adore this picture!

Kate thinks it is super funny to smell Will's feet and say "stinky".  We were trying absolutely

 everything to get her to sit still and had no problem resorting to feet smelling!

Love this sweet boy so much!  I have a picture similar to this of me and Kate. 

I can't wait to get them framed side by side!

I'm so thankful that a camera can freeze head butts and hits and make them look like sweet kisses and pats!

We are so blessed to have Melissa in our life - not only as an amazing photographer who has captured so many memories over the past year - but as a true friend as well!  A big thanks to Melissa for ensuring that I have these precious memories!  Love you and love the work you do!

We have a donor!!

I am so excited to share the news that Will officially has a donor!

Do you remember when I posted about the 30 year old male that was a 10 out of 10 match?

Well, after hearing that news, we were told that while there was a match out there, we couldn't select a donor until Will was closer to transplant.  This news did not sit well with me and Alex.  The thought of just sitting around, knowing there was a perfect match out there, but not placing that match on hold was not something we were ok with.

So many questions raced through our minds.  What if the donor was matched to someone else? We only had two potentail matches for Will so the thought of not "securing" one was stressful.  I know these thoughts may seem selfish on our part but we have to keep Will's health and best interested in mind and that meant securing a donor as soon as possible.

After a meeting with our nurse practictioner and a few discussions with some of the BMT doctors at Texas Children's, we finally got word that a donor was selected and officially placed on hold with the National Registry!  Will's donor is the man I posted about. 

There are a few requirements since we are hopefully several months from transplant (things like providing a clinical update every 60 days) but, we have a donor on hold specifically for Will!

Prayers were heard and answered! I am so thankful to have such a strong community of believers praying for Will.

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

Matthew 18:20 

Water Fun with Friends

One of the {few} positives to being a bone marrow transplant family is the other patients and families you connect with.  We have been blessed with an amazing BMT family and I know these sweet friends are "forever friends".

Colt is a transplant survivor (just made one year post transplant - Go Colt!) and he is just a few months younger than Kate.  His mom, Natalie, has become one of my dear friends.  It is such a blessing to have a friend that truly understands each and every worry I have.  I hate that our sick children brought us together but I am certain I wouldn't survive without being able to call, text, or visit with Natalie on a regular basis.

We've done really good about getting the kids together nearly every Wednesday since Will was born.  It's a nice break for us!  Since it is unbearably hot here in Houston these days we've had several water play dates!

Colt lives in the suburbs and has a big backyard so he and Kate we're able to play with his outside toys and a really cool splash pad a few weeks ago!  Kate was way more interested in playing in the water than Colt was but they still had a good time!

Catchin a ride from her main man Colt!

Look how long her hair is getting!  It's growing back so fast!

Kate had a blast in the water!

This is what happens when you attempt to get a picture of three tired babies under the age of 2.

We live in the city which means a teeny tiny backyard and not many outside toys!  However, we pulled the water table out and played for a bit in the driveway!

And I can't leave out sweet Will!

So thankful for these sweet friends!

New Name! New Look! New Location!

My sweet blessings who are both such miracles!

So much change!

I finally bit the bullet and made some major changes on the blog!  We were long overdue for a new name - Will needed to be included since we are most definitely not a family of three anymore!

I figured if I was making a name change, I'd go ahead and secured our own URL too!  And of course a new look was in order as well!

I think the name is pretty self explanatory!  I really love that I was able to incorporate BMT into the new name as BMT (the abbreviation for bone marrow transplant) is a huge part of our life and our story.

I am absolutely in love with the blog design!  This is my favorite design yet.  I've gotten to know Tiffany (of TKC Designs) on twitter over the past several months and I have always been impressed with her design work.  I was so excited to work with her and let me tell you - she is AMAZING to work with!  So fast, so attentive, and so creative!  I've worked with several blog designers in the past and Tiffany is by far my favorite designer to work with!  If any of you are in the market for a new look please get in touch with Tiffany - you won't be disappointed!

There are several additions to the blog that I'd like to point out!  There are now pages under the header that will give you an insight into our family and our story as well as information regarding bone marrow donation.  I'm still working on these pages but hope to have everything finished this week!

We also have a new facebook page.  I haven't been wonderful about blogging lately but I am pretty good about uploading pictures to facebook for our friends and family members.  Head on over to our FB page (The BMT Blog) and click "like" so you can see pictures of the cutest kids ever as well as updates regarding what's going on in our lives!

I'm so thankful for all of you that followed our journey as we finally became a family of three!  I hope y'all will stick around as we navigate all of our Blessings, Miracles, and Thoughts in Between!

Hanging out at Home

Earlier this month (nearly two weeks ago - I am so far behind with blogging), we had a rainy day at home.  I am pretty oblivious to the weather these days and got everyone ready to run errands before realizing that it was pouring down rain.

If you have ever parented a toddler, you know that saying we are going bye-bye and then not going bye-bye never goes over too well.  The whining for the park and bye-bye were non stop.  Enough to drive anyone insane. 

I was finally able to distract Kate by opening her drapes and blinds so she could see the rain falling as we played in her room.  We actually had a lot of fun that afternoon and Kate had a blast making things with her blocks!

Will enjoyed watching sister play!

It started raining a bit harder (while the sun was still shining - hello summer afternoon rain showers!) so Kate took a break to watch the rain fall.  I just can't get over how cute she looked!  The tippy toes! The curls! The cross back dress! I just love these pictures so much!

The rain made Kate nice and sleepy - she grabbed her nigh nighs and a paci and asked to "wok peas" (rock please) in her chair. 

I did not hesitate to scoop both my sweet babies up and rock away!  It's funny how these sweet moments come after an exhausting morning at home.  Just when you think you might lose your mind, trapped in a house with two babies, something simple like this completely adjusts your mindset. 

I never in my wildest dreams imaged I would be staying home full time with my kids but moments like this, when my sweet girl asks to cuddle up and rock make me fall in love with my job title all over again.

Who needs Corporate board rooms when you can have sweet snuggles on a daily basis?

Remind me of these moments the next time Kate refuses to nap on a day that Will screams unless he is held or eating, ok?

Two Months!

I can't believe my sweet little boy is two months old today!  What an amazing two months it has been!

I totally slacked on his one month post so I thought I'd share his "official" one month picture and then compare it to his two month picture.  I feel like he has changed so much over this past month!  He doesn't look like a little newborn anymore!

First, here are his stats from his appointment this morning:

Weight: 12 pounds 4 ounces (64%)

Length: 23 inches (54%)

Head Circumference: 15.5 inches (36%)

So what's been going on with out sweet Will?

*He is sleeping SO well!  This is such a change from his big sister who pretty much hates to sleep.  I am up more with Kate than I am Will which is just crazy to me!  He's been a good sleeper since birth and to be honest I don't remember exactly when he started sleeping through the night.  Maybe it was around 5 or 6 weeks?  Either way, he sleeps from 7:30pm to about 6 or 7am, takes a bottle, and goes back down until 9am!  It's pretty amazing!

*He hardly ever cries - such a change from having a colicky baby the first time around!  But, when he does cry? He is still the cutest thing ever!

*Food is his friend!  Will can eat!  He currently packs away 6 ounces every 2.5-3 hours during the day.  Sometimes he even wants to eat every 2 hours!  Again, this is such a change from Kate who never ate much and threw up non-stop!  His weight reflects his love of eating!

*Speaking of food - Will's love of food is evident in his clothes!  He is wearing anywhere from 3m, 3-6m, to 6m clothes depending on the brand!  I'm thankful that most of his smocked things seem to run bigger so he can still wear them!  I need to get a few more wears out of all of the matching sets I purchased!  I'm starting to think Kate and Will will be in the same size before too long seeing as Kate is still wearing 12-18 and 18m clothes!

*He is holding his head up so well and thinks he is such a big boy! 

*Naps are still pretty hit or miss.  If I hold him, he will get one good nap in while Kate takes her nap.  I love the cuddles so much but, I'm thinking I need to start getting him to nap in his crib so I can actually get things done around the house!  As of now I am totally reliant on our house keeper to ensure my house is not a disaster! 

*Will is starting to smile socially but it is still very inconsistent.  However, when he does? Melt my heart!  His dimples are just the sweetest thing ever and I love seeing his precious smile!

I just love this sweet little boy so much and cannot imagine our lives without him!  he definitely completes our family and the Lord knew what He was doing when He blessed us with Will!

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

Thanks to twitter and facebook, I know that I am not the only stay at home mom that has days where the only thing that gets me through is knowing Daddy will get home and I can escape with a nice adult beverage. Let's face it, parenting a teething 21 month old while dealing with an 8 week old that wants to eat non stop during the day can be hard and can cause this momma to need a drink in order to make it to bed time!

I'm typically a red wine kind of girl but tend to gravitate towards light, refreshing drinks in the summer. I was excited when BlogHer and Michelob gave me the opportunity to try the new Michelob Ultra Light Cider! I headed over to the Sponsor's site to learn a bit more about the product! I quickly learned that Michelob Ultra Light Cider is a new light, naturally sweetened and gluten free cider made from crisp apples. It's a great alternative to white wine or traditional ciders.

I've never had a hard cider before so I didn't really know what to expect but I was very impressed - Alex was too! Michelob Ultra Light Cider is crisp, light, and refreshing! I personally found the light cider to be less "filling" than beer. I love a good beer but sometimes I find that I feel bloated after just one or two beers. Despite the fact that ciders follow a similar brewing process to beer, I never got that feeling when drinking Michelob Ultra Light Cider. Add in the fact that it has a third fewer calories than normal ciders and it makes the perfect summer beverage - especially for this momma that is trying to watch calories to drop those last five pounds of baby weight!

I enjoyed it at home but it would be the perfect beach drink! I'm certain I will pick up a six pack of this cider when I am lounging on the beaches of Florida in September for a child-free weekend with my college besties!

What favorite summer meal or activity do you think you would go best with Michelob Ultra Light Cider? Also head on over to the Michelob Ultra Light Cider page on BlogHer.com to see what other bloggers are about this awesome new product to the Michelob family!

Get Your Read On - Summer Reading Challenge

One of my New Year's Resolutions (that I don't think I ever blogged about) was to turn off the TV and get back into reading.  Now, I haven't completely turned off the TV - I still indulge in mindless TV several nights a week.  But, I have done really good with getting back into a passion of mine that relaxes me!

I took a bit of a reading hiatus in the last few weeks of my pregnancy as I spent most of my evenings sleeping on the couch after I put Kate to bed!  But, mid-night feedings (which we no longer have - thank the Lord for a good sleeper this go around!) were the perfect time to start reading again!

Erin over at The State I am In posted about a fun summer reading challenge and I knew I wanted to participate in!  The challenge kicked off June 5 and will run until the middle of August!  Two winners will be selected based on reading - who reads the most books - and who reads the most pages!

I've already finished two books (570 pages) since June 5 - The Dead and the Gone and This World We Live In, both by Susan Beth Pfeffer! These are the last two books in the Last Survivors Trilogy.  I'll be honest, the first book was the best and by the middle of the third book I was just ready for the series to be over.  I'd give the first book 5 stars and the second and third books 3 stars.  Not bad but not amazing.

I'm pretty sure I am going to start the Desire trilogy by Kailin Grow tonight!  I seem to be stuck in the dystopian genre right now.  I also plan on re-reading a few classics like Little Women and Anne of Gree Gables and have Saving CeeCee Honeycutt at the house as well!

If you are looking for something to read, I highly recommend Delirium and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver!  I read both last month and really enjoyed them!  I am dying for the third, and final, book of the series to come out but sadly have to wait until next year!

I'd love for y'all to participate and read throughout the summer with us! I plan on posting about what I've finished a few times over the coming months! If you want to be a part of this challenge let me know - and head over to Erin's blog and leave a comment on her post about the challenge!

What are some books you would recommend?  Leave a comment and let me know what else I should add to my list for this summer!

Praising Him!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all of your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

We received some wonderful news today!

Let me back up a few weeks...

When Will was 8 days old, he went in for a CBC to see how his platelets were holding up. A normal platelet count is above 150. Will's was 50 at birth and unfortunately dropped to 30 by 8 days old. For reference, 20 is the point in which they start transfusions. Obviously we were crushed by this news.

Alex and I were terrified that Will would become transfusion dependent and that would mean he would go to transplant much sooner that we anticipated. As of now our goal is to get him to 11-12 months before he starts chemo. While it isn't necessarily horrible for a baby younger than that age to receive high dose chemo, it is definitely not ideal. The risks are greater and the chance of life long complications from the drugs is increased.

Will's doctors were unsure as to how his platelets would react. There were a handful of CAMT cases where platelets dropped after birth and then came up slightly before dropping again, and staying down. There are also cases where the levels never come back up. Due to this unknown, we started the process of finding a donor.

Thankfully, while the donor search was going on, Will's platelets did make an increase and the possibility of making it to March or April 2013 is back on the table.

The first step of finding a potential donor is to conduct HLA typing on Will. We had hopes of he and Kate matching and being able to use Kate's donor again. However, that wasn't the case - Kate is not a match which means her donor is also not a match.

We took our search to the National and International Registries and had very "blah" results. Not very many possible donors, and of the few possibilities we had, most were older. There is nothing wrong with an older donor (older meaning 45+) but younger donors have a better track record.

Thankfully, the youngest potential match on Will's list (a 30 year old male) was very prompt in scheduling additional blood work. We also have two other potential matches with samples still being processed in the lab. Alex and I have been very nervous about only "activating" three potential donors. It's very hard to think your child's chance at life rests on the possibility that one of only three people in the world may be a match. We were also nervous because with Kate, we initially activated eight individuals and of those eight, three were perfect 10 out of 10 HLA matches. The doctors could be selective and look at details like CMV/ EBV status and such. Having options made things less stressful.

I got a call today that made me cry happy tears!

The 30 year old male is a PERFECT 10 out of 10 match for Will!!!

He hasn't officially been named Will's donor - we have several steps and approvals needed before he will be asked to officially donate. Then, if he is the individual chosen (remember we still have two other possibilities in the lab but we don't know if they are matches yet) he will have to pass his physical before being cleared to donate. So, we still have several hoops to jump through.

But, we know that there is a perfect match out there for our sweet Will.

No matter what happens with the other two possibilities, we have one.

One is all it takes!

Praise God for yet again wrapping his arms around our family and letting us know that He is in control and He is working His plan in His timing. More proof that my worries are in vain because my Lord has it all figured out.

Please pray for this 30 year old man. Pray that he has a sense of peace about donating. That he is ok with being on "stand-by" as we try our hardest to get Will older and stronger before he goes to transplant. That his work/ life/ family are all accommodating to the needs and demands of donating.  What a blessing he may be to our son!

One Year

One year ago today I woke up, got ready, and loaded Kate in the car.

I drove the all too familiar route to Texas Children's.

I parked in Garage 16 - level B4 - in "my" spot and stopped on the 3rd floor for a cup of coffee.

I took the elevators up to the Cancer Center on the 14th floor.

Veronica, our favorite phelbotomist, took Kate's blood while Mrs. Teresa, our favorite tech, sang to her.  After 8 months of  1-5 blood draws a week we learned that Mrs. Teresa's singing kept Kate happy while she was poked.

KSBJ was on the radio.  I Will Lift My Eyes by Bebo Norman was playing.  Veronica always had KSBJ playing.  I loved that I was able to listen to worship music at the start of every stressful appointment.

After her blood draw we waited in the waiting room. 

Alex showed up.  He didn't normally come to routine appointments - there were just too many for him to take off work every single time.  But I had a bad feeling about this appointment and asked him to meet me at Texas Children's that morning.

It must have been raining, or expected to rain, because I vividly remember Alex walking off the elevators carrying an umbrella. 

As soon as I saw him I felt a sense of comfort. 

I knew I needed him by my side that day.

While waiting, Kate's hematologist, Dr. Patel, walked through the waiting room.  She ignored us which was very abnormal. 

I knew something was wrong and I vocalized my fears to Alex.

He told me to calm down.  That everything was ok.  I was working myself up for nothing. 

Our buzzer went off and we were taken to the first exam room in the green pod.  There was a book about children around the world in the room as well as a little toddler sized chair.

Kate had just started walking and insisted on pushing that chair around the exam room. 

Back and forth.  Back and forth.

Dr. Patel came in the room.  She attempted to have small talk but I could tell something was off. 

Then, I heard the words I will never forget.

"Well, remember that rare genetic test we've been waiting on results for? Congenital Amegakryocytic Thrombocytopenia? Kate's results were faxed in this morning. Unfortunately, Kate tested positive for CAMT and will need a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible."

I just sat there. 

Alex picked up Kate. 

She threw a fit because she wanted to keep pushing that chair back and forth.

Dr. Patel got up,  walked to the chair I was sitting in, gave me a hug, and we both started crying.

I sobbed big, hot tears. 

Kate's amazing doctor sobbed them right with me.

Shocked. Heart broken. Terrified. Determined.

One year.

Three hundred and sixty five days.

On June 7, when I blogged about the journey we were about to embark on, I said that "we serve a mighty God who will wrap his arms around my family and carry us through this journey."

He did. 

He carried us through. 

One year post diagnosis.

Nine months and five days post transplant.

What a year this has been.